A's offense backs up Sean Manaea's solid start in win over Red Sox

BOSTON — Sean Manaea’s second showdown with the Red Sox this season was not quite as dominant as the first, but it was enough to get the job done with some help from the offense.

Making his first start against the Red Sox after no-hitting them April 21, Manaea navigated through six innings against a dangerous lineup in Monday’s 6-5 victory.

Manaea extended his hitless innings streak to 10 with a perfect first inning before finally getting touched for two runs in the second inning, but a couple of nice escape jobs by kept things from getting out of hand.

After the A’s (20-21) took the lead back with three runs in the in the fourth, Manaea allowed the first two runners to reach base in the bottom half. He bounced back with by getting Blake Swihart to ground into a double play and Rafael Devers to ground out to first, ending the Boston’s threat with a shutdown inning.

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These are the type of situations Manaea used to struggle in. Before last season, he would panic and tend to start trying to strike guys out with his overpowering stuff. But now with a little less velocity, Manaea stepped off the mound, took a deep breath, and relied on his improved command in order to get the two ground balls.

“That’s kind of the things I was working on this year was taking a step back and calming my nerves,” Manaea said. “There was a moment I remember stepping off and telling myself to calm down and relax and I was able to throw strikes and get ground balls.”

Manaea found himself in a similiar situation in the fifth as he again allowed the first two runners to reach. Though he allowed a run that time around on a fielder’s choice, Manaea retired the heart of the Red Sox lineup in order to to limit the damage at one run.

“He has the weapons to do that. He’s maturing as a pitcher with not only his repertoire but being able to identify what he needs to do at a certain time,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “Now he uses his two-seamer whenever he needs to get a ground ball. Just a better pitcher overall.”

The final line was pedestrian for Manaea’s standards, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits with four strikeouts. But it was the way he escaped potential danger that made it a little more impressive.

Manaea had entered Monday’s game terrible in two previous starts 0-2 with a career 21.32 ERA at Fenway Park. It was a small sample size, but enough to be in the back of his head entering the night.

“Given my history here, those starts, it was just one of those things I just had to overcome and not shy away,” Manaea said. “Tackling those fears head on.”

Manaea also allowed four runs for the third consecutive start, but he received much more run support this time as Matt Joyce, Matt Olson, and Khris Davis all homered for the A’s. Manaea improved to 5-4 on the year, with his ERA now at 2.35.

Davis’ homer to give the A’s a 6-4 lead in the eighth was particularly important. It turned out to be an insurance run after J.D. Martinez homered off Yusmeiro Petit in the bottom half to bring the Red Sox (28-13) within a run.

Blake Treinen came on in the ninth and worked a quick 1-2-3 inning for the save, his seventh of the season.

CAHILL SET TO RETURN

Trevor Cahill is eligible to return from the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday, and the feeling is he will be to return on that day and start the series finale against the Red Sox.

“I think we feel pretty good about starting him,” Melvin said. “We have not made that decision yet. But I think based on what I’m hearing and how he came through in his bullpen session, we’re in a good spot.”

Cahill was 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA before landing on the disabled list with a right elbow impingement just days after recording a career-high 12 strikeouts against the Baltimore Orioles.